1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to high voltage wire connections. More specifically, the present invention relates to high voltage wire connections for X-ray generating vacuum tubes.
While the present invention is described herein with reference to illustrative embodiments for particular applications, it should be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. Those having ordinary skill in the art and access to the teachings provided herein will recognize additional modifications, applications, and embodiments within the scope thereof and additional fields in which the present invention would be of significant utility.
2. Description of the Related Art
Many electronic devices contain components that require high voltages (e.g., voltages in the range of 125 KV). To power these devices, a connection has to be made between the component and a high voltage power source. Customarily, a high voltage cable supplies power to a high voltage connector. A high voltage connector typically includes a high voltage cable, a cable well to house the high voltage cable, a tube contact to effectuate the connection with the high voltage device, a stress cone to position the cable well from an end plate and a cable retainer.
Conventional high voltage connectors use a purified high voltage grease in the gap between the high voltage cable and the cable well to prevent high voltage arcing.
However, the purified grease can become contaminated or degraded due to temperature and pressure fluctuations and/or repetitive disconnections and reconnections to the high voltage component. As a result, high voltage arcing often occurs which may lead to a failure of the connector.
Another conventional high voltage connector is the dry well connector. As the name suggests, the dry well connector does not use purified high voltage grease to prevent high voltage arcing. Instead, the body of the connector is lengthened to reduce high voltage stress and thereby precludes high voltage arcing. Although the dry well connectors are currently used in many systems, they may not be used in systems necessitating small connectors.
Therefore, a need remains in the art for a small, reliable high voltage connector that does not require purified high voltage grease as an inhibitor of high voltage arcing and leakage.